Travel Paradise Blog

If you are planning a ski vacation and there are
beginners in your group, or you are a beginner
yourself, you should definitely consider Tahoe
Donner in Truckee, California for your ski vacation.
Since 1971, when construction first began at Tahoe
Donner, the area has come to be known as a world
class cross country ski center, but beginners are
still welcome, and this is one of the better places to
learn how to ski.

Located near Tahoe and Truckee, Tahoe Donner
provides a family atmosphere, and is very affordable.
It features a 601 foot vertical drop, and the highest
elevation is 7353 feet. There are approximately 120
acres for skiers to enjoy, with over 13 trails for
beginners, intermediate skiers, and expert skiers.
The resort features four lifts, with two of the list
being surface lifts, and two being chair lifts.

Snowboarders are also welcome at Tahoe Donner.
The resort has reasonable lift ticket rates, and there
are rentals available. Here, you will also find a variety
of ski programs and a ski school. After a full day of
skiing, be sure to visit the Lodge Restaurant for a
wonderful and relaxing dining experience.

If you will be traveling for a ski vacation, it is often
difficult to know what to pack. You may not even
have a problem knowing what to pack, but instead
have a problem figuring how to get everything that
you need from your home to your destination. Skis
do not easily fit into suitcases, and if you are flying,
this presents a huge problem.

Start by knowing what is available at your destination.
Is there a rental shop? How much are the rental fees
for skis, boots, and poles. If it is reasonable, and you
don’t mind skiing with rented equipment, this is a
viable option – and it makes packing and traveling
much easier.

If you don’t care for rented equipment, there is
another option. Find out if there are any ski shops in
the area. There usually are. Get prices on skis, poles,
and boots, and then ask if they buy used equipment.
If they don’t, ask if there is anyone near by that does
purchase used equipment. Call that place to get an
estimate on how much you could get for barely
used ski equipment. Figure the difference in the
money you will spend on the ski equipment, and the
money you will get for the used equipment when you
are finished with it. If it isn’t much more than what it
would cost you to rent the equipment, go for it!

Ski suits, ski jackets, and sweaters can be very
bulky, and hard to pack. These items will take up a
lot of room in your suitcase, and leave less room for
other clothing and essentials. If you are trying to
pack for a two week ski vacation, it will be impossible
to fit everything you need into one suitcase.

There is a way to solve this. Call the lodge or resort
where you will be staying. Tell them that you need
to ship a package, for yourself, to them, and that
you need that package to be there when you arrive.
Ask them if they will hold it for you at the desk. In
most cases, they will. Next, get a box, put all of
your ski suits, your ski jacket, and any other
bulky items in the box, and ship it to yourself, in
care of the lodge or resort. Shipping can be
overnight, two day, or three day depending on
how far it must travel. Depending on how much
the box weighs, you will usually pay less than
fifty dollars to ship a package in the continental
United States….which is a lot less than you
would pay an airline for extra baggage!

If your family wants to go skiing on your next
vacation, but you don’t know how to ski, go ahead
and plan that ski vacation anyway! You can learn
how to ski, and you will have a great time doing it.
You don’t even need to know the first thing about
skiing before you arrive at the resort – all of the
knowledge you will need is there waiting for you,
and you can literally be skiing down a mountain
after an hour of instruction.

Learning to ski is really quite easy. Most resorts
have a ski school on the premises, and lessons are
reasonably priced. Group and private lessons are
usually available. It is a good idea, however, to
schedule an appointment before you arrive at the
resort. This will ensure that you can start learning
to ski the very first hour of your vacation.

Most ski instructors start by showing you how to
maneuver around with your equipment. When you
are wearing ski boots, you will be inclined slightly
forward – there is a reason for this…when you are
skiing down a mountain, you will be inclined
forward! Walking in ski boots the first time is a bit
difficult – but it works just fine if you learn to walk
with your knees slightly bent.

The first maneuver you will learn is called the plow,
or snow plow. This is a technique that is done by
literally using your skis as a snow plow. You make
the back of the skis slowing move outwards, away
from your body by applying pressure – and this stops
you. You guide yourself on skies by bending your
knees and leaning in one direction or another,
depending on which way you want to go. All of these
techniques can be learned in one hour, even if you
have never been on a pair of skis in your life.

The beauty of skiing is that after you have learned
how to snow plow, and how to guide yourself on the
skis, you are ready to ski! Get on the lift, head up the
mountain, and give it a try. Control your speed by
snow plowing – go slow at first. When you want to
pick up some speed, draw your skis back in to pick
up a little speed, then push them back out into the
plow position to control that speed.

As a beginner, you should stick to the trails that are
designed for beginners. At most resorts, these trails
are marked with a green emblem. Blue trails are for
intermediate skiers, and after one day of skiing the
beginner trails, you may be ready for those trails.
The black trails are for experts. These trails can be
dangerous for people who don’t have the skill level
to handle them! Avoid black trails until you have
had a great deal of ski instruction and experience.
You will know when you are ready!

It’s time to plan the family vacation – and everyone
wants to go skiing. Don’t worry, skiing isn’t as
expensive as you might think, and there are
numerous resorts that cater to families, offering a
variety of packages designed to save you money.
The problem will be choosing the destination.

Most ski resorts have websites. Start the planning
process by accessing these websites to determine
where you and your family might want to go for your
family ski vacation. There are many different things to
look for when choosing a resort. The absolute most
important thing to look for is a ski school if someone
in your family will need instruction. While most
resorts do have ski schools, some don’t.  Don’t
make the mistake of choosing a destination where
one or more of your family members won’t have fun,
simply because they don’t know how to ski.

Next, take a look at the slopes, lifts, and trails. You
want to make sure that the resort has something to
offer everyone in your family. If the resort only caters
to beginners, an expert skier will become quickly
bored. If you have a snowboarder in your group, and
there is no snowboarding park or terrain, that
snowboarder will not be happy. There are resorts
that serve all winter sports – so make sure that your
families interests are covered.

Lodging is the next thing to look at. You want to be
comfortable, so where you will sleep at night matters
a great deal. In most cases, there is a hotel right at
the base of the slopes – but this isn’t necessarily the
best or most affordable place to stay. Find out what
your lodging options are for the area, and choose
the one that is right for your family and your budget.
If you will be staying farther away from the slopes,
make sure that there is transportation to and from
the slopes each day!

Your family will have many more interests that you
will need to search for before deciding on a particular
destination and resort. Some of those interests may
be dog sledding, sleigh rides, snowmobiling,
snowshoeing, or horseback riding. Resorts do offer
these activities, but some don’t – so be sure to ask
about the winter activities, as well as the planned
events during the time that you will be at the resort.
This will help you plan a ski vacation that your family
will enjoy and remember for the rest of their lives.

Okanagan is a mountain range that runs through
valleys close to three mountain ranges.During the
summer this is the perfect place to do some camping,
 but when winter hits you will have great skiing
weather and conditions. There are small resorts that
are scattered throughout the area. The climate here
will make for great skiing down the slopes and through
the trails.

These scattered resorts are very quiet and peaceful.
Lifts are available, but they are limited to specific
times and dates. These resorts have great skiing
around them, even though they are small. This area
of mountains offers the most consistent
weather conditions, and the resort offers lodging for
everyone that cares to stay - at a reasonable price.

The mountain ranges offer different trails and skill
levels, but most of all they provide you with the
skiing vacation of your dreams. During the winter,
temperatures in the Okanogan range often drop to
zero degrees. The items you bring will need to keep
you warm at all times and safe no matter which trail
you may choose to ski.

If you will be in Italy, you should definitely visit
Limone. Limone is one of Italy’s oldest ski areas,
and it is a very old village with a twelfth century
church and many other old buildings. The town is
located near the French border, and is only about
thirty miles from Nice.

At Limone, you will experience a real taste of old
Italy. The nightlife has a lot to offer, and the gourmet
food is out of this world! Food and skiing are
everything here – with more than fifty restaurants,
and 46 ski runs. The top elevation is 6689 with a
vertical drop of 3033 feet. Most of the runs are best
suited to intermediate skiers, with a few that are
suitable for beginners and experts. There are twenty
seven lifts, including seven chair lifts and twenty
surface lifts.

Remember that the village is very old – and the
locales like it that way. If you prefer high technology
and modern buildings, Limone probably isn’t for you.
But if you want to truly experience Italy, Limone
must be on your list of places to visit in Italy.